A Day in the Life on the Grand Line
by BlackPensils
Summary: The Grand Line is a special place full of extraordinary people and weirdos, lots of weirdos. Each day is different from the rest, and they can get weird... A story about the daily life of the pirates (and civilians) on the grand line - canon-verse.
1. That was NOT a sneeze!

**Prompt #1**

 **"What the hell kind of noise was that?"**

 **"I sneezed."**

 **"That was NOT a sneeze."**

 **Summary: The Whitebeard pirates finds out what happens when Ace sneeze.**

 **Word count: 535**

* * *

Thatch could never decide if watching Ace devour food like a black hole did stars was fascinating or disturbing. It was flattering, in a gross sort of way, to have his food be eating in such large quantities by a just one man, but at the same time it hurt his pride considering that the speed said food was devoured at most likely left little time to savor the flavor.

"Dude, these are great," George, a man Thatch recognized as a former Spade pirate, said as he shoved a slice of pie in his mouth.

"Credits all to my grandma," Thatch grinned, placing a large plate of pie in the corner of the mountain of food and empty plates piled around Ace. If it was with the hopes that Ace would save it for last so he would actually taste the cherry flavored pie or because he didn't want to get too close to their new brother was uncertain; Probably a mix of both.

"Give her my thanks!" someone down the table shouted.

They all noticed the moment when Ace stopped eating, the sound of food being inhaled and plates clattering against each other having gone completely silence.

"Oi, he didn't fall asleep again, did he?" George asked, trying to peek out from behind Jozu.

"No," Thatch said, looking at the weird scrunched up expression on Ace's face. "You alright there-"

Thatch didn't get a chance to finish as Ace sneezed and a diamond clad arm came around him dragging him away from the flames that engulfed the 5 foot radius around the fire logia.

It was a good thing that the members of the crew had long ago learned to stay at least 10 feet away from Ace when he was eating to save themselves from the food rain that would occur around the young pirate.

* * *

Marco dragged his hands over his face as he finished the last page of paperwork about yesterday's battle. It surprised him that the marines were still determined to place ships watching them despite knowing how often said ships ended up a wreckage.

Putting the pen down and filing the papers into a neat stack to later be handed over to Pops, Marco stood up. Dinner was almost over but he hoped to still be able to catch one plate of food before going to bed.

He barely made it out of the commanders' corridor when the faint sound of an explosion sent tremors through the ship. In seconds Marco had made it to the mess hall. The room was silent and everyone was looking in the direction of the now burning table occupied by Ace, Thatch and Jozu, the latter working as a protective shield for the occupants that weren't fireproof.

"What the hell kind of noise was that?" Marco asked looking at the burning debris of food and wood circled around Ace. It certainly looked like an explosion had gone off. "What happened, yoi?"

"I sneezed," Ace said, reaching across to the tables that were not on fire for a tissue.

It took exactly five seconds for Marco to actually process what Ace had said, which was definitely five seconds too long. "That was NOT a sneeze!"

* * *

 **This is going to be a multi-chapter story, but it won't be based around any long lasting plotline. Instead it will focus on the daily life of the people on the Grand Line, like the Whitebeard pirates - both after and before Ace joined - and the Roger pirates, as well as any other people I can think about. I've long been looking for a story that revolves around simple, basic everyday things regarding One Piece characters and since I could've find one, I looked up a bunch of dialogue quotes and this is what my brain spat out.**

 **Some chapters may be longer than others, depending on what exactly the chapter is about. But I've always believed in quality over quantity. Some chapters may be plain weird and goofy with a hint of stupid on top, while others may be more serious. I will also be keeping inside the confines of canon, so there will only be canon ships in this story (it breaks my heart, but I'm sure we'll all survive). I may post a separate story based around my favorite ships surrounding everyday life, but that depends.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the weird shite my brain blessed us with, and don't be afraid to leave a comment, good or bad.**


	2. I'm sorry but you're really cute

**None of these prompts will be in order, though I guess that was a little obvious. The number is simply for me to know which text belongs to which prompt.**

 **Prompt #24**

 **"Stop laughing! I'm angry!"**

 **"I'm sorry but you're really cute like this."**

 **"Yeah, and you're really cute with a broken nose."**

 **Summary: Roger gets hurt and Rouge gets angry at him.**

* * *

"Stop laughing! I'm angry!" Rouge shouted, pushing the white piece of cloth against Roger's nose. A large red spot quickly stained the fabric as it soaked up the blood.

Roger held his stomach, probably because a rib was broken and laughing must hurt incredibly. "I'm sorry but you're really cute like this."

Rouge glared as she pushed the cloth tighter against his face till he was swatting at her hand, laughing out a rant of "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Yeah, and you're really cute with a broken nose."

With a huff, Rouge dropped the cloth onto the bed, stood up and with a glare at Roger turned to walk out of the room.

Sometimes Rouge just couldn't stand Roger and his carefree attitude. When he'd promised her adventure, she'd been aware that it would include a lot of dangers. Especially after they'd entered the Grand Line. Paradise had been one hell of a ride, since Roger had insisted on taking the scenic route back to the New World to show Rouge all of the wonders that the Grand Line could offer, which meant the peaceful along with the dangerous. It had been exciting to watch Roger and the crew run around the ocean, despite the dangers that would come their way.

But right now she couldn't be more pissed. Not only had Roger not told her who they were sailing to meet, but also that everything would be okay when she'd asked if everything was alright. She should have realized that Roger's version of alright was very different from her own.

When they'd approached the huge ship, that she now knew was called the Moby Dick, she hadn't been able to do anything but stare. When she met the huge man that was Edward Newgate, the first thing she'd noticed was the moustache and wondered why the man was called White- _beard_. The second was that if he stepped on any of the average sized humans they would probably be squashed like a bug.

"Oi, Newgate!" Roger had called up, hand by his mouth as if he was shouting at someone very far away. It was an obvious jab at the man's size. "I want you to meet someone!"

"Oh? Who've you dragged onto my ship this time?" Whitebeard looked down at them - quite literally - with a cold pair of eyes, but his tone of voice was way too relaxed and the way he'd said it sounded almost as if it'd been a joke.

"This is Rouge! She's my newest comrade," Roger beamed.

"Comrade?" Rouge asked with narrowed eyes and a raised eyebrow. She was way more than Roger's comrade, considering she shared his cabin - and his bed. The title comrade had sailed long ago to be replaced with another title.

Roger scratched the back of his neck. "Well… what am I supposed to call you?"

As if someone had thrown them a bone, the Roger pirates piped up from the sidelines.

"Lover!"

"Concubine!"

"Woman!"

"Wife!"

"They're not married, you know…?"

"Girlfriend!"

"Lady friend!"

Roger laughed, "She's my special someone."

Whitebeard had laughed, too.

Everything had been going fine until Roger and Newgate had started to throw small insults at each other, Rayleigh and a man named Marco both sighed and rubbed their faces, and both crews moved as far away from the captains as they could.

"We better move, yoi," Marco said in way too monotone a voice.

"Let's move to the front of the ship," Rayleigh said, holding his hand out for Rouge to take.

"What's going on?" Rouge asked, accepting his offered hand.

"We're moving so we won't get caught in the middle. Excuse me, yoi," Marco said before turning back to shout at the rest of the Whitebeard pirates that looked as confused as Rouge felt. "Ey, everyone move away from the middle of the deck. If you know what's good for you, you stay by a commander or get inside."

Rouge was led to the far end of the deck, told to stay by Rayleigh and then watched as the two captains raised their swords and broke out into a full on fight.

"God dammit…" she heard a Whitebeard pirate mutter. "We're gonna have a lot of damage to fix after this."

And that's how both captains had ended up in the infirmary after their respective first mates had been forced to intervene to stop them from destroying the ship. They'd both been bleeding from a good couple of wounds, including Roger's broken nose.

"C'mon! Rouge!" Roger shouted after her, but was pushed down onto the infirmary bed by a nurse whose name he didn't know. From the other bed, he could hear Newgate chuckling.

"She's got spunk," Newgate said.

Roger grinned.

* * *

 **I know that there has been a long time since I updated and I have no excuse. I have plenty of ideas as to what to write along with a few half finished prompts and texts. I'm just not sure about how I'm supposed to complete them or because the characters don't want to cooperate with me. There is, of course, also the part where I'm never really quite satisfied with what I've written.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this short little thing.**

 **R &R**


	3. Don't mess with Portgas D Rouge

**Prompt #20**

 **Even though you look really intimidating you still get picked on and now you're screaming because I punched your bully directly in the face. Oh great, my favorite pastel pink shirt has blood on it now.**

 **Summary: While in a bar, Rouge hears some guys making fun of Roger and Rouge punch one of them in the face.**

* * *

The place was tacky, smelled of beer and sweat and something that Rouge didn't want to identify, and was full of rowdy thugs, thieves and pirates alike. It was the first island they'd stopped at after entering the Grand Line and Rouge's first time in a bar that was sustained by the constant influx of pirates and similar clientele. She'd asked if Roger had been here before, but he'd said that every time they left the Grand Line he always decided to go to a new island the first thing after returning. This was apparently the third time he'd re-entered the Grand Line.

They were currently sitting at a table by the bar, close enough so that the service would be fast - considering that both Rouge and Roger had the D. appetite - but still far enough to remain away from the violence that usually took place at the front. As much as the Roger pirates enjoyed a good bar brawl, they didn't want a fight to be the first thing Rouge saw.

A very sweet barmaid had served them their drinks first before returning a few minutes later with the many plates of food, most of which were already empty and stacked into either messy or neat piles, the D. couple had ordered. While Roger had wolfed down his food, Rouge had had a little more tact and actually taken her time tasting the food. It was her first time in the Grand Line, their first stop after Twin Cape, and she was really curious about the many new and unique flavors she was expecting to taste. Of course, _taking her time_ was still much faster than the average human.

None of the small group that'd entered the bar were paying much attention to the people around them. They were aware of the stares and glances sent their way, which was to be expected with Roger's face plastered on the wall in both newspapers and old and the most recent wanted posters. But it wasn't anything they were worried about and had long ago grown accustomed to. Stares were a common thing in the Grand Line, even on the smallest of islands. Most did it to have a way out of trouble if a pirate dragged the marines after him and they got caught in between. Others were just curious about the new faces.

Rouge was a little more aware of the people eyeballing them, specifically the people that were eyeballing her. Most were trying to place her face, wondering if she'd appeared somewhere alongside the Roger pirates before while those who already figured out that she was a new face were trying to figure out what kind of relationship she had with the group and if she was possibly a new crewmember.

She swallowed a large chunk of meat. It was definitely some form of fish but it was much richer than any she'd tasted before and much harder to chew but definitely worth the flavor.

"Do they always stare this much?" Rouge asked, not really directing the question to anyone specific. She sent glances back out around the room seeing how some turned away to hide their curiosity while others kept staring straight back at her and even meeting her gaze. A few had some very unpleasant expressions on their faces.

"They're usually less subtle about it," Rayleigh shrugged, also throwing a glance or two out across the room. "Especially at a new place like this one."

"Ib comes wib bein' bamous," Roger said, mouth full of food and an octopus leg hanging out of his mouth.

"Swallow first," Rayleigh scolded with an amused smile, hitting Roger up the head. Much had changed since the two had first met in Loguetown's harbor, Roger's table manners, or lack thereof, was not one of them.

Rouge chuckled.

"They're nothing to worry about," Rayleigh said. "Few people out here recognizes New World pirates, and the ones who do rarely does anything. It's not worth the trouble."

It was fair enough, she figured. Those few who dared to enter the Grand Line did so with the goal of being free, not with a death wish. Most of the ones who passed through Reverse mountain were either pirates and marines, with the rare occasion of a merchant ship braving the dangerous waters. Picking a fight in new territory you'd just entered even if the people around you might be just as inexperienced as you wasn't a smart idea. It would be a risky move that could cost you everything, not to mention everyone came through the mountain which was most of the time blocked by Laboon which meant a damaged ship. The first priority on the agenda would be finding a shipyard or a shipwright, not a fight.

She hadn't believed Roger when he said that there was a huge whale waiting for them at the entrance of the Grand Line as they'd approached Reverse Mountain. The stories she'd heard were amazing but some were hard to believe without seeing them with your own eyes or having been there to experience it yourself. She had no problem believing that Roger saw some amazing things out on the Grand Line's seas but she also had no problem believing that some of the stories may have been exaggerated for special effect. But as they had been sent upwards by the currents and into the narrow entrance in the mountain side only to reach the top and plummet right back down, at which point Rouge had been laughing the entire time, she had seen it.

The whale.

It had appeared like a large dark shadow at first. Then when they came closer Rouge thought for sure that they were sailing straight for a black mountain which had somehow blocked the entrance. She had, of course, panicked and hurried over to Roger who was standing by the front of the ship, hand holding onto his straw hat with a huge grin on his face.

"We're heading straight for a mountain!" she'd screamed over the strong winds. She had to hold her hair out of her face to not get any in her mouth.

"That's Laboon!" Roger shouted back, grabbing hold of her waist and securing her with a tight grip. He flashed her a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, we won't crash."

And they hadn't. They had steared right by the whale's side and way too close to the rocky side for Rouge's liking. But they had come out unscathed on the other side, and sure enough, as they passed it Rouge saw a huge eye. Later she started laughing into Roger's side, having enjoyed the ride till she'd seen the huge black wall - Laboon - block their way. Roger had laughed with her and he had introduced her to the whale and Crocus, Laboon's caretaker who lived on the cape looking after the whale's condition. Apparently it kept smashing its head against the Red Line in its desperate attempt at getting through to the other side.

"-Seen for months! Rumor is he's been spotted in the Blues."

Rouge caught the conversation without really knowing why she'd suddenly tuned into it. There was something they'd said that she'd heard but hadn't clearly been sure of and now she couldn't tune them out.

"Yeah, I heard the guy left the Grand Line! Finally tucked his tail between his legs and ran," a man at the bar laughed, a large tankard of beer in his hand.

"Haha! He probably ran right back to East Blue, Grand Line way too rough for him!" the man next to him laughed, throwing his head back with a bark. He had a rosy tint to his cheeks, telltale sign that he was drunk despite the fact that it wasn't even past noon.

"Whitebeard probably scared him off."

Rouge stiffened. Of course, the conversation was about Roger. Why else had she tuned into just theirs while the whole bar was filled with people and chatter. She put down her utensils, turning to look at the men without even the slightest hint of trying to hide her stare. She pulled her chair out, scraping it against the floorboards ready to make her way over to the men and give them a piece of her mind when a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Leave it," Roger said, he was looking at Rouge with a neutral expression. The group clenched their fists but remained seated. They knew full well that Roger was waiting for when the men crossed that line to cause any trouble.

"They're bad mouthing you," Rouge said, but sat back down. "You're just going to let them talk like that about you?"

"They're harmless," Roger said.

The group of drunk men laughed at something one of them said while the barmaid refilled their tankards.

"That why he ne'er won a fight against him," one of them laughed. "He keeps pissing his pants!"

"How many times has he not left for the Blues?" another one of them asked, chuckling. "What kind of pirate goes on a break?"

The loud screeching of a chair against the wooden floor and then a loud thud as said chair hit the floor caught their attention, and barely did they have time to process that Rouge had stood up when the man at the bar suddenly got a fist to the face. Everyone in the bar stopped talking, everyone staring at the strawberry blonde in the blue dress who had just sent a man three times her size flying through a wall.

Back at the table, Roger stared at his hand and then back at Rouge very confused as to how he hadn't noticed that she'd gotten out of his grip.

"Ah! Rouge!" Roger exclaimed, though anyone who payed attention could hear the laughter behind the exclaim.

Rouge herself was glaring angrily at the hole in the wall and was shaking her hand to get rid of the dull ache in her knuckles. A few droplets of blood stained the back of her hand and one of her knuckles were bleeding, though most of the blood had most likely come from that guy's now broken and bleeding nose.

The two left at the bar stared at the place where their friend just sat, their intoxicated brain's processing what just happened. Then one of them, a man with a huge scar running across his lip, pushed off the bar stool and got straight up in Rouge face.

"You lookin' for a fight, bitch?" the man snarled, raising the tankard in his hand as if he was ready to use it as weapon.

The man was fairly large and muscular built, just from appearance he could be taken as an intimidating person. So it was quite a sight to see the man pale significantly and shrink into himself, sweating and shivering like a small chihuahua. He was looking behind Rouge where everyone in the bar could see the terrifying shadow of Roger. What the man saw was basically a New World pirate, whom he'd just insulted, looking ready to wreck every bone in his body.

He stumbled backwards with a long string of stuttered words that were inaudible. Then as an invisible wave rippled through the bar, the man collapsed onto the floorboards like a potato sack. The sound of bodies hitting the floor filled the bar and back at the table Rayleigh took a long swing of his drink. The only ones who remained conscious were the Roger pirates and the shaking barmaid who had turned over and emptied her stomach straight onto the floor.

Rouge looked around, confused as to what had just happened. She frowned up at Roger who took her bruised hand. He carefully examined it, as if she was a delicate flower, running his thumb over the back sending those butterflies through her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Roger asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I'm fine," Rouge smiled, but then looked down on her dress. "Though, I got blood on my dress."

Rayleigh sighed but smiled all the same as he saw his captain kiss Rouge's knuckles while grinning like a madman. It was nice seeing the way the two interacted with each other, how they complimented each other perfectly. Though the impulse control of the D. gene was a cause for concern.

This was going to be an interesting journey.

* * *

 **I know I said that this was going to exist within canon, and it will. But I will include my own headcanons, but exclude fanpairings - that was what I meant. Not sure if I made that clear or not. I've always headcanoned that Rouge went with Roger on the Oro Jackson. Anyway, I pictured Rouge as this kind but badass lady who, just like most of the people with the name D. could kick ass. So I feel like Rouge and Roger would hold each other back from going too far, or just adding onto each other's recklessness.**

 **R &R**


	4. Let's just blow it up

**Prompt #45**

 **"Eh, screw it. Let's just blow it up and call it a day."**

 **Summary: The Whitebeard pirates are in a fight with the marines and it starts to get tedious.**

* * *

Fights were a given on the Grand Line, whether in-crew-fighting or fights between rivaling crews. For the senior pirates those fights were the reminder of a lot of things; Freedom, struggle, friends whom they'd lost, the reason why they still fought and stayed alive. But there are times when you just don't care about the battle and it just becomes annoying or an inconvenience.

Marco knew this well, and why he was thinking about such things in the midst of a battle was because this battle was just that - annoying.

"Eh, screw it. Let's just blow it up and call it a day, yoi," he muttered as he kicked some marine general over the side of the ship.

"Getting tired, Marco?" Ace asked.

"This is the third fight this week, I'm bored." It would be better if the Marines came with a challenge, but now it seemed that they threw new recruits fresh out of training at them.

Ace shrugged, but smirked. "Alright."

"What?"

Marco watched as Ace easily made his way over to the side of the Moby Dick that was facing the marine vessel. He raised his hand, fist aflame, and with a loud "FIREFIST!" Marco, and everyone else, stared as the huge marine vessel was burnt to rubble in seconds.

Everything was silent as Ace jumped down from the railing. The remaining marines looked at the pirates with fear as the pirates quickly finished the few remaining off while the marines quickly jumped over the railing and into the ocean.

"Dude…" Thatch said, looking at the burning remains.

"What?" Ace asked, looking over at Marco when he came over. "You said to blow it up."

"I did, yoi."

* * *

 **Some quick fun. Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. I'll never forget when

**Prompt #71**

 **"I'll never forget the day I became an only child."**

 **Summary: After learning that Ace has lost a brother on the anniversary of Sabo's death, Izou decides to share some of his own backstory with Ace.**

* * *

Ace was sitting against the wall in an abandoned part of the deck. He'd been in such a pissy mood that everyone had decided to stay away from him until his mood improved. Izou had been going out of his way to look for the fire logia, however. He'd heard something interesting from some of the crew members, a pair of former Spade pirates, though they had refused to say anything to his face when he'd approached them to ask.

"I'm sorry, Commander," Masked Deuce, former Spade pirate first mate, had said. "But that is personal information."

"Ace is considered a part of this crew as much as you are," Izou said. "Everyone's worried."

"Yeah, well, it's nothing you can do about it," Deuce said. "He's always like this today."

"It's best just to leave him alone," Banshee said, shrugging. "He'll be back to normal tomorrow."

Sitting down next to Ace with a flop of fabric, he looked on towards the slowly setting sun. Ace glared at him from the corner of his eyes.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Izou spoke, taking in the many colors of pink, orange and reds that painted the sky in slow succession. "But fleeting. Gone before you want it to be."

Ace groaned, and a muttered, "Piss off," reached Izou's ears.

"I heard from your former crewmates that today is a bad day for you." When Ace tensed, Izou added, "They refused to talk to me about it, of course."

"Then why don't you do like a tree and fuck off ," Ace growled.

"I believe the saying is, 'do like a tree and leave.'" He was met with silence.

Izou let the silence surround them, feeling a small feeling of success at the fact that Ace was still sitting beside him. He'd half expected the young man to get up and leave the moment Izou had started speaking.

"I've heard rumors that you've got brothers back in East Blue. One… Luffy, was it?" Izou smiled internally at the way Ace reacted against the name. If anything, there had been a lot of rumors about this Luffy, a lot of talk from the former Spade pirates. But Izou had also heard something else, that there had been another one, a brother that Ace never actually talked about. From his expression now, Izou could guess why.

"I'll never forget the day I became an only child," Izou said, mind far away, wrapped in memories.

That grabbed Ace's attention, as he spun his head towards Izou with wide eyes.

"You… you had a…."

"A brother, yes," Izou finished for him. "Older than me, by a few years. He passed away when I was a child." Izou's eyes fixed on the sunset, as if the colors moved, spreading across the heavens like a broken mandala. "It broke our family."

"Sorry," Ace whispered, looking down at the deck.

"And what about you, Ace?" Izou asked. "Who did you loose?"

"My brother... My other brother."

There was silence after that. Ace kept his face down, eyes obscured by a curtain of black hair. But Izou could see the twitch in his lip and the slight tremor in the teens shoulder's. As the silence stretched on, Izou gathered his kimono skirt up in his hands and made to stand up, Ace spoke again.

"I didn't… we weren't there when he-" Ace stopped. "We heard about it, and got a letter."

"Losing someone close to you, it leaves its scars," Izou said, mind flashing back many years to a small room behind paper walls. The coughing and faint whispers of voices, the empty face of his mother the next years - she never really looked at anyone after that, her eyes glazed over as if she was forever staring beyond the present. "How old was he? Your brother."

"Eleven, just about," Ace whispered.

"The world is unfair and quite cruel," Izou said, eyes once again moving to the fading horizon. "But sometimes, people can't stay in our lives forever. Sometimes, heaven needed them more." Ace didn't answer. "I'll leave you alone."

With a sigh and a quick smile towards Ace he turned around and started walking away. He heard Ace move behind him and glanced over his shoulder. The teen immediately looked away, glare back on his - though Izou was unsure of who it was directed towards.

"Unless, you want me to stay," he asked more than said. Ace sent a quick glance his way and then looked away.

Izou smiled and sat back down next to him.

"Tell me about your brothers."


	6. Of birds and teddy bears

**Prompt #81**

 **"Why the heck do you have a stuffed animal on your desk?"**

 **"He's not a stuffed animal. He's Wall-E and he keeps me from losing my mind."**

 **Summary: Marco has a stuffed toy on his desk.**

* * *

Ace knocked carefully on the door, feeling out of place in the corridor. It was lined with doors, some which had been painted or decorated to fit their inhabitants personalities. The one he was currently in front of was fairly simple except for the faded outline of what might have once been a bird - he wasn't all that sure, though.

He had never been in this part of the ship before, having stayed as far away from the commanders and the rest of the crew as he could. That had also meant staying away from where they slept or spent most of their times. Now that he was part of the crew, he knew he could go wherever he wanted but he had so far had no reason to go to this particular part of the ship. That was until now.

Apparently Marco had a tendency to overwork himself and sometimes skip eating due to whatever had taken up his focus at the time. As it was, Marco hadn't come to the mess hall for lunch and as dinner started and he had yet to show up, Thatch had handed Ace a plate of food and told him to give it to the phoenix. He'd been given quick instructions of where to go and had been sent on his way. it hadn't been hard to find since their quarters were close to Whitebeard's which Ace could reach in his sleep at this point. Not to mention the decorated doors were a give away. He'd been able to guess some of the owners of most of the doors, like Vista's which had beautiful flowers painted around the edges or Jozu's which had a huge diamond on it. Other's were a little harder, like the one with cursive writing all over it or the one with two guns forming a cross.

Marco's was next to Jozu's at the far end of the corridor.

"Come in," he heard from behind the door and pushed it open with his hip.

He couldn't help but observe the room as he walked inside. It wasn't as spacey as some of the pirates had told him it would be. It didn't look any bigger than the cabin's Ace shared with the seven other men from the second division. Sure it didn't have the same onslaught of beds since it was only occupied by one man, but it wasn't grandiose either.

It was actually pretty simple.

There was a bed with a dresser that served as a nightstand and a chest pushed against the wall facing the bed. A bookcase - which Ace guessed was bolted to the wall - stood next to a desk with its own bookshelf which was full of scrolls - maps, probably -, folders and log pose's and other navigation stuff.

"Yo, Thatch sent me with food," Ace said.

Marco was sitting at the desk, a huge stack of papers - which was probably reports on treasure collected, damage caused by the recently shitty weather, supplies and all that other shit that was needed for a ship. Ace had never needed to bother with that, mostly because Deuce had never let him near the shopping list again after the disaster at Kyuka Island.

"Is it lunch already?" Marco asked, looking up from his work.

"Dinner, actually," Ace said with a smile. He glanced towards the bed but turned his eyes back to the tray of food.

He tried to let it go and not think about it, yet his mind kept going back to it. Specifically to the question of why Marco owned such a thing.

The phoenix frowned, turning towards the window - it was fairly large for a ship, Ace noticed, probably so Marco could leave the room quicker. It was dusk outside. He groaned and dragged a hand through his hair. He tapped the edge of the desk and said, "Just put it right here."

Ace did as he said.

"Uhm… Marco?"

His mind wouldn't drop it. He had to ask.

The Phoenix gave a hum as Ace pursed his lips. His eyes kept moving to the man's bed, specifically the huge stuffed bear beside the pillows.

"Why do you have a stuffed animal on your bed?"

Marco turned around in his seat and looked back towards the bed. There in the corner sat the huge white bear with its vacant expression just looking out at the room with its beady black eyes. It was large enough that it could used as a pillow.

"He's not a stuffed animal. His name is Teddy and he keeps me from losing my mind."

"A-ha…" Ace said.

The room filled with silence.

"Was there something else you wanted?" Marco asked when Ace didn't move.

"Uhm, no," Ace said, shaking his head. His eyes kept going back to the huge stuffed animal. "I'll just… I'll tell Thatch you're eating here."

With that he gave a quick wave and exited the room.

* * *

 **Can you imagen the amount of work this man must go through, being both first mate, first division commander AND older brother to an entire crew? I get stressed just thinking about it. So when I read this dialogue prompt, I just couldn't help but imagen Marco having this huge stuffed animal in his room which helps him stay sane with all the crazy shit they must go through on a daily basis.**


End file.
